Map information updating apparatus and map information updating method

• US 20070198184A1
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozawa, Jun, Yoshioka, Mototaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,379,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/387 Organisation of map data, e.g. version management or database structures
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Provided is a map information updating apparatus which can automatically select map information optimal for the user from among plural map information, and update an original map using the selected map information. The map information updating apparatus includes: a map information storage unit which stores map information; a position information detecting unit which detects a current position; a movement history storage unit which stores a series of detected positions as movement histories; a map information selecting unit which selects one of a first update map information providing unit and a second update map information providing unit; a map information updating unit which obtains update map information from the selected providing unit; an update map information storage unit which stores the obtained update map information; and a combining/displaying unit which combines the map information stored in the map information storage unit and the update map information stored in the updated map information storage unit, and displays the combined map information.

Claims

1. A map information updating apparatus which is connected to plural map information providing devices that provide plural different types of update map information, and which updates map information stored within said apparatus itself, said map information updating apparatus comprising:

a map information storage unit which stores map information;

a position detecting unit operable to detect a current position;

a movement history storage unit which stores, as movement histories, a series of positions detected by said position detecting unit;

a map information selecting/updating unit operable to select one of the plural update map information based on the movement histories stored in said movement history storage unit, and to obtain the selected update map information from the corresponding map information providing device;

an update map information storage unit which stores the update map information obtained by said map information selecting/updating unit; and

a combining/displaying unit operable to combine the map information with the update map information, and to display the combined map information so as to display a geographic area with the corresponding update map information from among the geographic areas each having the map information stored in said map information storage unit.

2. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a movement model calculating unit operable to calculate an movement model indicating a characteristic of movement of a user based on the movement histories stored in said movement history storage unit,

wherein said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to select update map information corresponding to the movement model calculated by said movement model calculating unit, and to obtain the selected update map information from the corresponding map information providing device.

3. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said movement model calculating unit is operable to calculate, as the movement models, movement areas of the user for each category of destinations to which the user move, based on the movement histories stored in said movement history storage unit, and

said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to select map information as the update map information, the map information being map information regarding the movement area indicated by the movement model calculated by said movement model calculating unit and the map information detailing the category.

4. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said movement model calculating unit includes:

a primary base point extracting unit operable to extract a primary base point to be a base point of the movement of the user, based on the movement histories stored in said movement history storage unit;

a movement cost calculating unit operable to calculate a movement cost from the primary base point to a destination in the movement histories;

a landmark information extracting unit operable to identify the category of the destination by referring to landmark information included in the map information stored in said map information storage unit;

a movement area classifying unit operable to classify, into the categories of the destinations as the movement areas, respective expected range of the destinations within which the user moves, based on the categories of the destinations identified by said landmark information extracting unit and the movement cost calculated by said movement cost calculating unit; and

a movement model generating unit operable to generate, as the movement model, a table indicating each category of the destinations which is classified by said movement area classifying unit.

5. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein said map information selecting/updating unit includes:

an update area identifying unit operable to identify areas to be updated with the plural map information provided by the plural map information providing devices, from the plural map information stored in said map information storage unit;

a map type judging unit operable to judge types of the plural map information provided by the plural map information providing devices;

a movement model referring unit operable to obtain the movement model calculated by said movement model calculating unit, and to refer to the obtained movement model;

a selected map determining unit operable to select map information as the update map information from among the plural map information provided by the plural map information providing devices, the map information having details in which;

at least a part of the movement area indicated by the movement model referred by said movement model referring unit is included in the area identified by said update area identifying unit; and

the category of the destination indicated by the movement model corresponds to the type of the map judged by said map type judging unit.

6. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the map information stored in said map information storage unit includes landmark information regarding a landmark,

said map information updating apparatus further comprising

a landmark information extracting unit operable to extract, from the movement histories stored in said movement history storage unit and the plural map information stored in said map information storage unit, the landmark information in the map information corresponding to the destination in the movement histories, and

said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to select the update map information based on the landmark information extracted by said landmark information extracting unit.

7. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the landmark information includes category information indicating a type of the landmark, and

said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to select a type of update map information which belongs to a category indicated by the category information included in the landmark information extracted by said landmark information extracting unit.

8. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising

an update map type judging unit operable to judge types of the plural update map information,

wherein said update map type judging unit is operable to judge a type of a map by analyzing text of the landmark information stored in the map information.

9. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising

an update map type judging unit operable to judge types of the plural update map information,

wherein said update map type judging unit is operable to judge a type of a map based on a density of landmarks which are present in a predetermined area of the map information.

10. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 9,

said update map type judging unit includes:

a common facility identifying unit operable to identify a facility used in the plural update map information in common;

a category information rule calculating unit operable to calculate a rule of category information which is information which includes terms of categories indicating the common facility, based on the common facilities identified by said common facility identifying unit; and

a landmark density calculating unit operable to calculate the density of the landmarks by referring to the rule of category information calculated by said category information rule calculating unit,

wherein said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to select the update map information including a high density of the landmarks which belong to a category indicated by the category information included in the landmark information extracted by said landmark information extracting unit.

11. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the map information stored in said map information storage unit includes route information indicating a type of a route,

said map information updating apparatus further comprising

a route information extracting unit operable to extract the route information of the map information corresponding to the route included in the movement history based on the movement histories stored in said movement history storage unit and the plural map information stored in said map information storage unit, and

said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to select the update map information based on the type of the route indicated by the route information extracted by said route information extracting unit.

12. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the types of the routes include a type referred to as “

narrow road”

, and

said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to select update map information including detailed information regarding “

narrow road”

when the type of the route indicated by the route information extracted by said route information extracting unit is the type referred to as “

narrow road”

.

13. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the plural map information providing devices respectively include

a searching/outputting unit operable to search for an optimal route which connects a departure point to a destination, and to output the searched result,

said map information updating apparatus further comprising:

a route searching requesting unit operable to request the plural map information providing devices respectively to search for the route which connects the departure point to the destination which are stored as the movement history stored in said movement history storage unit; and

a route comparing unit operable to compare, with the requested route stored in the movement history, the route outputted each from the map information providing device in response to the request issued by said route searching requesting unit, and

said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to select update map information provided by the corresponding map information providing device which outputs a route nearest to the requested route stored in the movement history, based on the comparison result obtained by said route comparing unit.

14. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the plural map information providing devices further respectively include

a calculating/outputting unit operable to calculate time required to travel along the route obtained by the search, and to output the calculated result,

said route comparing unit is operable to compare the required time outputted from each of the plural map information providing devices with the required time stored in the movement history, and

said map information selecting/updating unit is operable to output a route nearest to the route stored in the movement history, based on a comparison result obtained by said route comparing unit, and to select the update map information provided by the corresponding map information providing device which outputs the required time closest to the required time in the movement history.

15. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein said route searching requesting unit is operable to request the plural map information providing devices respectively to search for a route which connects the departure point to the destination which are stored as the movement history in which movement time is the longest among the movement histories stored in said movement history storage unit.

16. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the update map information includes audio name information regarding a name of a route and a point,

said map information selecting/updating unit is further operable to select the update map information based on the audio name information included in the update map information.

17. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said map information selecting/updating unit is further operable to select the update map information according to a ratio of an area displaying the map information to a whole display area, the map information being stored in said map information storage unit and the whole display area being displayed by said combining/displaying unit.

18. The map information updating apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said map information selecting/updating unit is further operable to select the same type of update map information as the update map information, the update map information being previously used for updating the vicinity of an area to be updated on a map.

19. A map information updating method for updating map information stored within a map information updating apparatus by connecting the map information updating apparatus, via a wireless communication path, to plural map information providing devices that provide plural different types of update map information, said map information updating method comprising:

detecting a current position;

storing, as movement histories, a series of positions detected in said detecting;

selecting one of the plural update map information based on the movement histories stored in said storing, and obtaining the selected update map information from the corresponding map information providing device; and

combining the map information with the update map information and displaying the combined map information so as to display a geographic area with the corresponding update map information from among the geographic areas each having the map information stored in advance.

20. A program for a map information updating apparatus which is connected, via a wireless communication path, to plural map information providing devices that provide plural different types of update map information, and which updates map information stored within the apparatus itself, the program causing a computer to execute:

detecting a current position;

storing, as movement histories, a series of positions detected in said detecting;

selecting one of the plural update map information based on the movement histories stored in said storing, and obtaining the selected update map information from the corresponding map information providing device; and

combining the map information with the update map information and displaying the combined map information so as to display a geographic area with the corresponding update map information from among the geographic areas each having the map information stored in advance.